We Belong To The Light, We Belong To The Dark
by moods424
Summary: When a dark power threatens the Wizarding world, Eva must choose between her family & her beliefs. With the help of James Potter, Eva takes on her family, love, friendship & ultimately proves that it's not where you come from but what you do with it SB/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is the first story that I've posted to this site in years. Please let me know what you think. I won't beg for your reviews, but I will admit that the reviews make me more eager to write and post. Do I even need to say it? I don't own anyone but the OCs. Thanks. -Ashley

**We Belong To The Light, We Belong To the Dark**

"Eva

"Eva?" Mrs. Malise called. "Eva, WHERE ARE YOU?" Her rising impatience was evident and Eva quickly hurried up behind her.

"Yes, mother?"

The older woman smiled hollowly in reply. "Be a good dear at school and try to stay out of trouble. Why we didn't pull you out and send you to Durmstang after your first dreadful year, I will never understand…" she trailed off talking more to herself than her seventeen year old daughter standing before her. Eva knew better than to interrupt her mother's wandering thoughts and instead, waited calmly for her to stop. "Nothing to do about it now I suppose, off you go."

Instead of a tearful, loving goodbye, Isabella Malise patted her daughter softly on the shoulder and urged her towards the waiting train. Eva obeyed subconsciously, gathering her things and moving towards the brightly colored train. She was eager to get back to Hogwarts and her uncomplicated, quiet life. She longed for the days when she could lounge alone under low hanging tree-branches and be alone with her thoughts. After settling into a compartment, Eva looked out her window, somehow expecting her mother to still be standing where she had left her. Instead, the platform was filled with emotional parents, waving here and there, smiling and gripping at each other for support. And her mother was nowhere in sight. Eva averted her gaze. She wasn't sure why she even felt affected by her absence. Though she loved her mother, they had had a distant relationship for much of her life. An only child, Eva was expected to cling to the pureblood tradition that ran strongly in her family and in much of the wizarding world. Though she didn't express her views openly to her parents, she knew that they sensed her hesitancy to stand steadfastly behind a growing power, which in her mind was a dangerous power. Times had changed since her parents had grown up. To Eva, it seemed ignorant to believe that pureblooded wizards were superior to those born to muggles, or married to them. Some of the strongest, most skilled witches and wizards that she knew came from those situations, and similarly, she knew many pureblooded wizards who lacked technique, quickness and all-around skill.

Eva glanced back around the empty compartment; grateful for the solace she was already experiencing. She closed her eyes and felt the tension loosen from her shoulders. Over the next several hours, Eva was vaguely aware that there were other students in the compartment with her. She didn't pay them any attention and they didn't pay her any bother. Time moved quickly as she passed in and out of a dreamless sleep before she filed off of the train with the rest of the students.

"Hurry up James!" Sirius Black called to his friend. They had just arrived at Hogwarts and Sirius was several feet ahead of James trying to secure an empty carriage. James Potter followed along slowly behind him, searching the crowd for a familiar girl. Loading his trunk in the carriage, he thought he caught a glimpse of her, but couldn't be sure before they lurched into motion. "Trying to catch a peak at Evans?" his friend chided.

James smiled wryly and nodded, though it hadn't been who he was looking for at all. On the contrary, James had decided that if Lily Evans was to be his, it would happen naturally, as it was the way of the world. He didn't know if he was maturing or if he was worn down from six years of constantly badgering the beautiful redhead, but either way, his thoughts were momentarily elsewhere. His thoughts rested solely on Eva Malise. His interest in her was completely platonic, friendly even. She was his year, Gryffindor, surprisingly, as she came from a typical Slytherin family. Similarly to his friend Sirius, Eva's family had certain…ideals of the wizarding world that were non-congruent with Hogwarts teachings and James's personal feelings. He was pleasantly surprised as he'd gotten to know Eva, guarded as she was, that she was kind, smart and fair, something no Slytherin could boast. Their friendship had been odd and mysterious to anyone who knew James. He was outgoing, boisterous, friendly and loud. Eva's personality contrasted his like day and night. They were inexplicably bound by an event at the beginning of their second year at Hogwarts. That night, James vowed to Eva that he would never share their story, not even with his best friends. And from then on, the small, quiet girl had been his charge. He watched out for her, talked with her and stood up for her furiously when anyone called her strange or different. Sirius never understood his friendship with Eva, although they were more alike than either would care to admit.

James settled into his seat, vowing to resume his search for Eva at the feast. He hadn't heard from her since they parted ways before boarding the train at the end of last term. She hadn't responded to his owls all summer, though he wasn't sure that she was even receiving his messages.

"Oy! You listening to me mate?" Sirius demanded. James looked around the carriage to see Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew staring at him incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm listening," James responded. As the idle chatter about girls and pranks continued around him, he only half-heartedly paid attention.

"So I decided that I'm going to bag Lily Evans…" Sirius's voice rang through the air, his eyes gleaming with laughter. James shook his jumbled thoughts from his head and rested his steely gaze on his best friend. Sirius's low chuckle erupted into an all out bellowing laugh. He was joined by the rest of the Marauders.

"If you could have seen your face, mate…"Peter laughed, clutching his round stomach. "We knew you weren't listening."

"You are a bunch of tossers. Supposed to be my mates, chasing my girl…" James couldn't help but smile at the ragtag group. The four of them had become friends quickly in their first year, Sirius and James because they mirrored each other, Remus because he kept them grounded and Peter….well, because every group needed a Peter.

"Well, I don't know how we managed to lose you between here and the platform," Remus noted, looking at James with raised eyebrows, his questioning clear on his face. "Because you look like you're here, but it's quite clear you're elsewhere."

"Yeah, Prongs, spill," Sirius chimed.

James looked from one friend to the next, knowing that they expected an answer. He sighed, opened his mouth and closed it and finally said, "It's Eva-"

"-It's ALWAYS Eva!" Sirius interrupted. "If I didn't know that you were head-over-heels for Evans I would wonder what was going on between you and Eva Maaaalise." Sirius's voice quivered as he said her last name.

"Hey! Why do you need to say it like that?" James demanded looking not only at Sirius, but at Remus and Peter. He knew they probably thought the same things about her as Sirius, but Remus, ever polite would never say them in his presence, and Peter was likely too scared. "She's a very nice person. Not that much different than you I might add." James glanced pointedly at Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes before continuing, "You don't know where she comes from…I, on the other hand, know enough about her to know that you shouldn't be running around consorting with her." His voice was becoming elevated.

"She comes from the same place you come from!" James bellowed back, somewhat regretting his anger at his friend.

Silence overtook the carriage as they arrived at Hogwarts. No one knew what else to say. James was angry at Sirius. Although he hadn't known Eva nearly as long as Sirius had, he undoubtedly knew her better. He had seen her at her lowest moments and knew more about her and her family than Sirius did. Even though she was pureblooded, she was not her parents, just as Sirius was not his. James exhaled and descended from the carriage. Remus muttered something about finding Lily for head boy and girl patrols and wandered off.

"Prongsie-" Sirius began but was interrupted by James shaking his head. "I know man, don't worry about it." Sirius nodded in understanding. James looked briefly from Peter to Sirius before gathering his things and heading towards the castle doors.

Eva shuffled along with the rest of the students, placing her trunk in the great castle entrance for the final time in her Hogwarts career. She moved quickly up the steps into the Great Hall and looked around breezily for a place to sit. Eva had many acquaintances, from all of the houses except Slytherin. She usually chose to sit at the Gryffindor table with girls from her dorm or even occasionally with James Potter. She never worried much about who she was going to sit with, as she mostly preferred the solace and anonymity of sitting with people she hardly knew. She scouted a wide place mid-way down the Gryffindor table and hurried towards it before someone else snatched it up. She was almost there when her left shoulder struck another and she fiercely looked to see who that shoulder belonged to. When she found deep silver eyes, nearly the shade of her own, she looked down quickly. She continued walking when a strong hand grabbed her by the back of her cloak. She pivoted and looked at the offender, expecting to see Sirius Black glowering down at her. Instead, James Potter stood, grinning at her, his glasses slightly lopsided on the bridge of his nose.

"Eva," he greeted her warmly, reaching to pull her into an embrace. Although usually hesitant to be touched, Eva welcomed the hug and even surprised herself with the enthusiasm she displayed, gripping him back. "I wrote you, you didn't write back-I was worried…" his brown eyes showed his genuine concern.

Eva mustered her best calming smile and looked at James, hoping he would take the bait. "We'll catch up later?" she hoped her friend knew enough about her and her past that he would let it go at that for now.

"Absolutely," he nodded an understanding that clearly was deeper than just a confirmation of her request. "But until then, I insist that you eat dinner with us."

Eva looked hesitantly from James to Peter and briefly at Sirius. She gently nodded and joined the boys at the Gryffindor table. She listened quietly, savoring Dumbledore's words, remembering the first time that she had set eyes upon the enchanted night sky ceiling and heard the headmaster proclaim unity and understanding. She had never felt so welcomed, so understood. It hadn't taken long for her to realize that even in this haven for understanding, divisions existed. Pureblood families, though dwindling, were more protective than ever, something that Eva knew first hand. She had been excited to be sorted into Gryffindor. As a wide-eyed child of eleven, with no brothers or sisters to precede her, Eva knew nothing of acceptable houses for pureblooded children. She was confused and dismayed when her letter sharing the good news with her parents had not been celebrated, but ignored. It had been the first time that she started to understand that their differences might divide her family. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking in the scents and sounds of Hogwarts, sealing them away in her memory. When she opened her eyes, Dumbledore was finishing his speech and students were already beginning animated chatter amongst themselves.

"I have been waiting for treacle tart FOREVER," Peter proclaimed, reaching for a tray that had just appeared in front of them. Eva shared a knowing smile with James before reaching for the pitcher of pumpkin juice.

If James had been concerned about Eva before he saw her, he wasn't quite sure what he thought now. He had officially laid eyes on her, talked to her and observed her and he wasn't sure what he truly thought yet. On the surface she looked well. There were points during Dumbledore's speech where she actually looked overwhelmingly content, something he rarely saw in her. But something was bubbling just below the surface, James could sense it. Eva was a complex young woman, more so than any he had ever met before, and yet, after five years of friendship, most of the time, he truly felt that he understood her. Even after the disconnect of months of no communication from her, James still felt like they were exactly where they were when they said goodbye on the steps of Hogwarts months before. He was grateful, however, when she asked him to take walk on the grounds after dinner.

"How are you?" he asked, bracing himself against the early autumn breeze that swept across the rolling hills around the castle.

"I'm well," Eva responded briskly, looking at all of the scenery that Hogwarts had to offer. She could feel James's gaze lingering upon her, waiting for her to continue. "Really, I'm fine."

"Why didn't you write back?" James questioned plainly. It was a fair question, Eva reasoned. He had written her several times; she still had the letters tucked away in her trunk.

"I didn't know what to say James," she answered truthfully, pulling a strand of long dark blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Look at me," James demanded. Eva looked at him, at his eyes searching hers for an answer. If anyone happened upon them and overheard their conversation, they would seem like scorned lovers instead of friends. She was sure that some people thought that they were. He braced his hands against her shoulders, holding her in place at arms length, their shadows dancing beside them. "Tell me what is going on."

"I…"she began slowly, lowering her eyes from his before swallowing and continuing, "I don't know what to think anymore James. I was raised with one set of very specific ideals, that I have come to believe is more wrong than I ever imagined anything could be. And I love them, I do." She paused when referring to her parents. James silently willed her to go on. "He's growing stronger you know."

Her eyes defiantly met James's stunned stare, flashing a powerful blue before calmly returning to their normal blue/grey color. James didn't acknowledge her comment instead he continued, "I knew things had to have been hard for you this summer, but why didn't you write me back?"

"How do you say in a letter that everything that you've ever known is complete rubbish? I am homeless-" her voice faded to a whisper.

"You know you could always come stay with me, if I'd known you got kicked out, I would have claimed you straight away, you know that," James vowed. "Hell, I claimed Sirius and he's not nearly as nice or charming…"

Eva laughed despite the seriousness of their conversation, "that's not what I mean James. I FEEL homeless. More and more I feel less welcome in their world. I know that they sense that I don't share their pureblood superior thoughts. But similarly, I'm not completely accepted by non-pureblooded witches and wizards because they fear that I AM just like my family. It's the weirdest feeling, being caught between two places and not belonging to either." She finished and looked at him. He nodded slowly before they both began moving back towards the castle, his arm comfortingly strewn across her shoulders.

Arriving in the common room, it was clear the most of the other students had turned in for the evening, with only a few students dotting furniture throughout the room. Sirius and Remus were waiting for James and beckoned to him when they entered the common room. Eva smiled appreciatively at James before heading for the staircase to her dorms.

"Eva?" he called to her gently. She turned slowly and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Yes?"

James stepped closer and lowered his voice. "You belong here, always remember that. You are brave and kind hearted. You belong in Gryffindor and you belong at Hogwarts. And mostly, you belong on this side, the right side. I know deep down you know that." We winked at her mischievously. She could feel herself blushing as she turned and quickly hurried into her dorm.

"Are you sure nothing is going on with you two?" Sirius asked as James approached.

"I'm sure man," James smiled, "besides, I only have eyes for one Gryffindor woman. She has long, red hair and piercing emerald eyes…"

"Yeah mate, we know you LOVE Evans and want to marry her," Remus added. James heard a snicker behind him and turned to see Alice, one of Lily's good friends standing next to Lily, a look of distain on her face.

"Already, Potter?" she inquired, looking tired. "We've only been here for a few hours." She shook her head, gathered her things and her and Alice headed up the staircase that Eva had climbed only moments before.

"Thanks MOONY," James slapped his friend on the arm jokingly. They all shared a brief laugh before Sirius interrupted.

"I don't know what it is about Eva that you seem to find so interesting…" he wondered. "She's not terrible to look at, I suppose, but she doesn't stand up to half of the girls in this school."

"Sirius, I know you know that's not true," Remus said incredulously. "She's a very attractive girl."

Sirius shrugged, "that may be, but for the last six years she's done nothing but mope about the castle. I rarely see her interact with anyone other than James. She doesn't look anyone in the eye. That girl is trouble, mate. All of those girls are."

"Those girls?" James looked at Sirius, unsure of his meaning.

"Yeah, pure-blooded girls. They're up to no good. Take it from someone who grew up watching the things that they were told. Eva, for example…I grew up with her, and I saw the things her parents said to her, about muggle-borns and blood traitors and other beings that they saw as inferior."

"That doesn't mean she listened, Padfoot," James suggested. "After all, didn't your parents tell you the same things, and you're not like that at all."

Sirius shrugged, "lets just say that I'm on the low side of that trend. I was surprised that she was sorted into Gryffindor, sure, and I heard my parents talking to hers. They were displeased, disgusted, just as my parents were…couldn't understand how such a noble, pureblooded heir could wind up in a traitor-house. I admit I felt bad for her, thought maybe in some way, we could team up, take it on together. When we were twelve, at a wedding, I suggested to her that we become allies. Do you know what she did?" Sirius paused for dramatic effect. "She stared at me. She just looked right at me, through me, as though I wasn't even there. Thinks she's better than everyone, that one does."

"I think you have her figured out so wrong, mate," James looked at his friend.

Sirius shook his head, "I don't think so, mate, I will never understand what draws you to that girl."

For about the thousandth time since that night in second year, James wished desperately to tell his friends what had happened, what he had witnessed happening, to Eva. Maybe then they would understand, join him in protecting her. But James knew that he could never reveal what happened. It was not his story to tell.

You like? Review Please. THX!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N-Thank everyone who read ch 1 and thank _Miss Heather_ for her review-it was very helpful and I added in a description of Eva down a little further. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Eva was zoning in and out of the lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts two weeks into term. She had been paired with Lily Evans, a fellow seventh year Gryffindor. She and Lily had been in the same dorms, and many of the same classes since first year. They had always been wholly cordial to one another, never rude, but Eva couldn't help but feel that Lily was distant towards her because of her pureblooded family. Lily, a muggle-born, struggled with discrimination from many of the Slytherin students. Eva looked around the classroom, many of those Slytherin students sat in the classroom with them. Some eyed her curiously, while others gave her downright vile looks, and still some didn't acknowledge her at all. Lucius Malfoy, a childhood friend, chilled her with his cold sneer two tables from her. Bellatrix Black, Sirius's cousin, looked at her with such contempt she felt empty. Focusing back on the blackboard, Eva mused that her and Lily could be better friends than either would probably guess.

She noticed James daydreaming in Lily's general direction and waved her hand behind Lily's head to get his attention. She rolled her eyes and smiled, James shrugged in response. Her gaze briefly caught with Sirius's and she smiled, or at least she sort-of turned up the corners of her mouth, before facing the front of the class again

"Next week," Professor Binns began, "we will pick up with your silent dueling skills. These will become quite important should you ever be in a dangerous situation and need to out duel your opponent. Please read and carefully study chapter 9 before we meet on Thursday."

Eva grabbed her things and started to move towards the door. Lily fell in stride next to her. "Nervous about dueling?"

Eva was surprised, though grateful for the outreach, "A little, I guess. I wish we didn't have Slytherins in our class. I just don't trust dueling against them, really. They have no courtesy or respect for the rules."

Lily looked surprised by Eva's words but didn't miss a beat before replying, "I know exactly what you mean."

Behind them, Sirius rolled his eyes looking at James and muttering, "Eva WOULD know all about Slytherins, she might as well be one."

James gave him a scathing look before they both realized that Eva was looking at them. She looked hurt, and had obviously heard Sirius's comments. She opened her mouth as though she was going to respond, instead she turned back to the chattering red head at her side.

James slapped Sirius across the chest. "You're a right prat, you know." Sirius knew that James was right, and was his friend quickened his stride and moved ahead of him down the hall, Sirius let him go. Though he didn't care for Eva, even the slightest bit, he knew that James did and made a note to try to respect that more in the future.

Later that evening, though she should have been studying for transfiguration, Eva slipped out of the castle. It wasn't REALLY against the rules, though it wasn't exactly in the rules, either. She was grateful for the gentle breeze against her skin. The heavy smell of rain hung in the air and a few drops fell on her forearms as she stepped into the sweeping open around the castle. She looked at the sky and once she determined that she was not going to get caught in a downpour, she continued around the perimeter of the great building. She exhaled fully for the first time since Sirius made that stupid comment in the hallway.

Eva had been startled by the severity of his words. She hadn't expected it at all, least of all from Sirius Black, pureblood exile extraordinaire. She was more than familiar with the Black family, as the pureblooded network was both tightly knit and exclusive. They had played together as children, hobnobbing at various events, until Sirius's parents had practically disowned him for his "muggle-loving" ways. There stories really weren't all that different, Eva reasoned, except for one major thing, love. Though Eva's parents were less than pleased that she had been sorted into Gryffindor, they had always had what she would define as a loving relationship. Sure, they were often distant, but Eva had come to believe that this was to be expected of the relationship between parents and children. Her relationship with her mom and dad certainly seemed closer by comparison to those of other pureblooded witches and wizards she knew. She raked a hand through her hair-she'd been thinking of cutting it lately. Sometimes she thought that she might need a change and that her appearance would be the easiest thing. She shook the thought from her head and she settled below her favorite tree, a lazy willow near the lake.

"Lily?" James approached his love quietly. She looked up at him, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Could you pretty please go up to your dorm and tell Eva that I would like to speak with her?" James asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes.

"She's not up there," Alice replied, not looking up from her textbook. James looked over to the petite blonde, irritated.

"Well, that can't be possible, could you please go check?"

"Really, Potter, we were just up there, no one is in the dorms right now," Lily look at James, confused. James looked lost, stunned and worried all at once.

James stepped away from the studying girls and headed straight towards Remus.

"Moony, do you have the map?" he whispered loudly, his eagerness clear.

"Shhhhhhh," Remus replied. "Don't want people to start asking questions about the map mate. It's up in my trunk, what do you need it for?"

Before Remus had finished, James had already bounded towards their dormitory. He appeared a minute later with a folded, rumpled looking piece of parchment, opening it quickly.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he managed to mumble. James quickly flipped page over page searching for the familiar footsteps. When he didn't find them he tapped the map briefly, "mischief managed." He looked up to meet Remus's questioning gaze.

"I'll go with you," Remus reasoned, closing the potions book that he had been engrossed in. "I think we should grab Peter, and even Sirius."

"I don't think we'll need them," James replied quickly, remembering his and Sirius's last interaction. They hadn't spoken since Sirius shot his mouth off that afternoon after Defense.

"C'mon mate, we might need them," Remus was right, James hated to admit that, but he was. "You them then. I'm going to get the cloak, just in case."

James was beyond panicked. He and the other Marauders had been searching the castle for over an hour and Eva still hadn't appeared on the enchanted parchment in his hand. What if she'd been taken out of the castle, or worse?

"James, do you think we should go to Dumbledore?" Remus asked gently, appealing to his friend.

James shook his head, "I don't know what to do. Let's go back to the common room and regroup. Maybe Lily and Alice really know where she went." He didn't believe his own words and it was clear to the three standing around him. But instead of commenting, or suggesting anything else, they followed James back.

Upon entering through the portrait hole, it was clear that they wouldn't be getting any answers out of Lily or Alice this evening. The room was completely devoid of any students, the only light in the room coming from the smoldering fireplace. James and Sirius quietly plopped down on the couch nearest the fireplace, with Remus and Peter opting for overstuffed armchairs on either side of the couch.

Eva woke with a start as wetness came over her. She quickly realized that she was being saturated by fat raindrops, gathered her cloak around her and hurried towards the castle. By the time she reached the heavy wooden doors, she was dripping wet. Removing her cloak, she shook out any access water that she could before trying to quietly slip back into the castle. She opened the door only inches and slid through, closing it firmly behind her. Much as she liked being alone outside of the castle, inside, she felt threatened and scared. Hogwarts, beautiful and calming by day, was not as forgiving during the night and the structure creaked and moaned at her every turn, keeping her heart racing. She finally reached the portrait hole, whispered the password before quickly looking over her shoulder and again slipped inside. She turned to close the door and turned to find four angry faces staring at her.

"Where have you been?" James demanded. "Why are you all wet?

"I'm fine," Eva replied dismissively. "What are you doing up?" She looked from face to face, expecting an answer.

"Wha-" Sirius began incredulously. "What are WE doing up?" James shot him a poignant look designed to silence him, but instead, he continued. "WE were looking all over the bloody castle for YOU, because this git," he motioned to James, "seems to have some infatuation with you and didn't know where you were."

Eva looked less than amused before attempting a feeble apology directed to James, "I really am sorry. I went for a walk and fell asleep under a willow by the lake." She knew it sounded lame the second that it came out of her mouth, and didn't have to wait long for Sirius's sarcastic laughter to echo through the empty room.

"That's the most rubbish I've ever heard!" he declared through bellowing laughs. "It's pouring rain out, and you 'fell asleep' under a tree. I've known enough dark families in my life to know that that is bloody ridiculous. So what were you really doing, Eva? Consorting with Slytherins, threatening first years? Pillaging and plundering?" His eyes had narrowed and he had aggressively moved closer to her.

Eva stood shivering and somehow she felt hot. Out of the corner of her eye she saw James about to protest on her behalf but held up a hand to silence him. "You know what? You're not even worth the time that it will take me to spell this out for you, and so I've avoided doing it for the past six years. But clearly, you're not intelligent enough to figure it out yourself, so I'm going to have to spell it out for you just once. You are an arrogant git, Black, you know nothing about me and yet you assume that you do. If your best friend seems endeared to me in some way, you would think that maybe you would let your preconceived notions and preconceptions of me go, because he must find something about me to be genuine." Eva knew she was screaming and she didn't care. She felt whit hot rage towards Sirius. Every snide comment he had ever made that she had ignored flashed through her mind at once and angry tears threatened to spill from her widened eyes. She instinctively stepped closer. He opened his mouth to address her attack.

"I'm not finished," she seethed. "You have judged me since the day we came here. How often do you see me talk to Slytherins? Have you ever seen me bother a first year? And I'm not a bloody pirate!" She moved close enough to poke him roughly in the chest.

Sirius looked positively hateful. "You bitch," he spat. He vaguely heard Remus and James protest to his language in the background. "You know what? No, I've never seen you talk to Slytherins, or first years for that matter," he paused and Eva looked borderline triumphant. "Because in six years here, you haven't made a single ally. Not one person in this entire school, possibly with the exception of James would call you a friend. You are haughty and stuck up and think you're better than every single person in this bloody school. I hope you-"

"SIRIUS BLACK!" A shrill voice called. The entire group turned to the top of the girl's dormitory stairs to see a wild-looking Lily Evans glowering down at them. She began to descend the staircase quickly, never taking her eyes off Sirius. "I don't know what's going on here, but I have a feeling that you have no right to be talking to anyone that way. As a prefect in this house, I simply won't allow it, and Remus, I'm ashamed that you've somehow been party to this conversation. You all should know better." Lily wrapped an arm gently around Eva's shoulders and began guiding her towards the staircase.

Eva flinched lightly at Lily's touch, surprised by the outpouring of support from someone she didn't know if she could call a friend. Sirius saw her flinch and Eva looked at him, daring him to say something to her. He said nothing and she allowed Lily to lead her away.

Moments later in their dormitory bathroom, Eva burst into tears. All of the stress and emotions she had been withholding for years came pouring out of her. Lily muttered a quick silencing spell on the door, so as not to alert the other girls and softly stroked Eva's damp hair as she cried.

It took a while, but eventually Eva calmed down, unsure if she'd run out of tears, or simply the energy to feel anything. She looked at Lily and felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" It was one of those questions that didn't need to be answered and so Eva didn't. Instead, she moved slowly in front of the mirror. Her normally pale skin was puffy and blotchy, the whites of her silvery-blue eyes appeared blood red and her hair hung in damp clumps around her face. She took the rare opportunity to study her reflection and noticed that Lily was doing it, too.

"You really are quite pretty, you know," she commented absentmindedly.

Eva bent forward and splashed cold water on her face. It seemed to calm the burning in her cheeks, even though her skin still felt raw. She studied her reflection again. Pretty? Maybe. She'd never really thought much about it before.

Standing a 5'5", Eva was three or four inches shorter than Lily. She was thin, but not skinny. Her mother always told her that she had good "child-baring" hips but she wasn't overly curvy either. Happy with her figure, Eva had really always been able to eat as she pleased and wasn't overly athletically ambitious. She had an oval shaped face, high cheekbones and thin eyebrows. It was possible if she talked to people once in a while that she would certainly have more than a few admirers. Her mouth was dry and she pursed her heart-shaped lips before bending forward once more and cupping a sip of water in her hands to drink.

She turned to Lily and muttered a quiet "thanks". She really was so grateful for her intervention and didn't know how far the situation would have escalated. Eva leaned against the wall and Lily sat down on the side of the tub.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?"

Eva locked eyes briefly with the curious redhead before reaching for her hairbrush to try and untangle her hair, which was almost impossible, as it had been whipped by wind and rain as she hurried back towards the castle. Lily reached for the brush as Eva struggled and without a word, Eva let her take it. Her hair was probably a little bit too long. It hung midway down her back and had a stubborn wave to it, though she styled it straight almost every day. Her side swept bangs fell in her eyes as Lily worked on the longer layers in the back. She felt relaxed and didn't know if it was the affection or the emotional release she had experienced only minutes before.

She recounted the story to Lily, her surprise to return and find the young men waiting for her, the biting remarks that Sirius spat at her, all the others she had overheard over time. Lily listened quietly to the entire story, never commenting and when Eva was finished, Lily and her both headed back into the dormitory, but not before sharing a brief, understanding hug.

Downstairs, Remus pivoted to look at Sirius. "Sirius you've gone too far." Sirius looked briefly at James to see a series of emotions on his face. Confusion, Anger, Worry.

Sirius didn't know what to say. In some ways he was stunned by his own anger. Then he rounded back to look at Remus. "I wasn't wrong though, did you see her flinch in disgust when Lily touched her. Probably couldn't stand that a mud-blood was touching her!"

"ENOUGH!" James bellowed, shooting a nervous look at the girl's dorms, not wanting to alarm Lily again. "You have no right to call her that, not even in example. And no, Eva doesn't think that way." His words were specific and choppy to make his point.

Sirius felt the warmth creeping back up his face as his anger boiled over. "Why are so you bloody protective of her James? I don't understand. I think her actions and her background speak volumes on her."

"You wouldn't understand," this times James was whispering menacingly, the emotion clear in his voice. He turned to walk away before stopping and facing Sirius threateningly. "You need to keep your bloody mouth shut. I am so bloody protective of her, because she was bloody protective of you second year, and she was punished for it, badly."

James turned and exited through the portrait hole, leaving the other three stunned and confused behind him.

**If You liked it, please Review, it makes me more excited to write and I will update much quicker. Thanks! Ashley**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Here's Chapter 3. It is a bit lighter, and defines the characters a bit more. The next chapter will be explosive and Eva's secret will be revealed! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

_Eva tossed in her sleep. She was in a dark, unfamiliar corridor of the castle. She ran her hand absentmindedly over a tapestry hanging to her right. The portraits looked ominous, not saying anything as she passed, instead looking at her with dangerous eyes. She was chilled although the temperature was quite warm. Green light vibrated past her and instinctively she ran, turning corners, shooting fearful looks over her shoulder. She couldn't see anything, but she continued to hurry along. Another bolt of vibrant green passed her and she fell, trembling. Eva scrambled to her feet but she wasn't quick enough, her bones felt as though they were splintering inside her body as she was lifted off the ground and slammed back into the rough stone repeatedly. And then everything went black._

Eva sat up, her shirt matted to her small frame by sweat. She peeled herself from her blankets and stepped onto the cool wooden floor, shivering. Reaching for a pair of oversized sweatpants and another shirt, she quickly changed. Sliding the dorm door open and closing it almost soundlessly behind her, she headed down to the common room.

The room stood empty, but warm and glancing at the clock, Eva learned she had only been sleeping for roughly two hours. After Lily and Eva had gone to their beds, Eva fell asleep quickly, exhausted. It was rare that she lost her temper, and even rarer that she cried like that. Eva had learned at a young age that emotions were to be controlled and harnessed, never revealed. Her father believed that exposing your emotions gave your enemies insight into your mind and therefore, advantage over you. Eva assumed this was why neither of her parents had ever been overly affectionate towards her. She hadn't brought her wand downstairs with her, so she hoisted two oversized logs into her arms and into the glowing ashes of the fireplace. Sometimes it satisfied her to do things by hand.

She settled back into the worn couch cushions and closed her eyes, letting the smoldering fire warm her.

James stormed back and forth through past the portrait hole. He'd exited the common room, blinded by rage a while before and wandered through the various halls and stairways in the castle, daring Filch to catch him. Though with no particular destination to go, his anger had subsided a bit and his body felt heavy on his feet. He wanted to talk to Eva, make sure she was okay. And ask, rather beg, her to reconsider their vow of silence years earlier. And yet, he knew Eva, he knew that she would never relinquish such a painful, embarrassing and hurtful secret, especially to people that had been truly awful to her. She didn't want pity and she didn't want allies to come because of it. James couldn't deny understanding that. Swearing under his breath, he realized that nothing would be solved tonight and stepped through the portrait hole.

Eva jumped noticeably when she heard the unmistakable groan of the portrait hole swinging on its aged hinges. Turning defiantly, she faced none other than James Potter. Concern was evident on his face and he smiled tiredly, in spite of himself.

"Eva, what are you doing down here?" he began carefully. Her face bore the unmistakable signs of rough tears and he didn't want to agitate her again.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered looking back towards the fireplace, where James was using his wand to levitate an oversized piece of tinder. It wasn't a lie really, she had a nasty nightmare and as such, she couldn't sleep. "Where have you been?"

She was speaking quietly and James wasn't sure if it was due to the late hour of their meeting or the rollercoaster of events that had played out earlier. Eva moved her feet on the couch to create room for James and he gratefully sat down next to his friend.

"Thinking." He didn't know how to tell her that he'd inadvertently spilled part of her secret to his friends earlier. It hadn't been intended in any way; instead the words fell from his lips before he'd had any opportunity to encapsulate their ramifications on his friendship with Eva. She was the opposite of trusting, and James knew that she had never known a single person that she deemed trustworthy. Weighing his options, he figured it was probably better to confess to her now. "I made a mistake Eva. A big one…I know you'll be mad, but I hope you'll understand that it wasn't intended. I've never, I would never, violate your friendship…." He trailed off.

Eva didn't say anything, instead she eyed James warily, eyebrow cocked precariously above her eyes, still red rimmed from earlier in the evening. James recounted the incident clearly and recoiled once he was finished. Eva sighed heavily and briefly closed her eyes but didn't say anything. Several minutes passed and James busied himself with the rough edges of his robes.

"Let's just talk about this tomorrow," Eva said simply, looking at James. He made eye contact with the often fiery tempered young woman and understood. Her gaze had said it all. She wasn't mad at him, but she also didn't have the energy to discuss anything more tonight.

Sirius lay awake staring at the ceiling of his dorm. What had James's comment meant? He played several scenarios through his head but he had a hard time understanding how Eva had anything to do with him and vice versa. Their families were close and he'd often played with her as a child, but Sirius's knowledge of Eva ended there. Her father, much like his own, was an overwhelmingly cruel man, though not completely much so to his daughter. Not like Sirius's parents who had disowned him for his alliances only the year before. He shook the thought from his head and rolled to his side. James had still not returned, his bed lay empty, blankets still bunched as he had left them the previous morning.

Sirius wasn't pleased with himself for losing his temper, he considered himself to be well mannered, especially to women. However, Eva had done nothing in his opinion to earn his respect and as such, he shouldn't have to show her any. He got out of his bed and reached for the Marauder's map. James had left it in the common room when they returned from their search earlier. It was a careless mistake, Sirius thought, but couldn't blame James for his anger. Sirius begrudgingly knew that he did have one reason for being nice to Eva. James.

James had taken him in when his family had turned on him. James had been more than a friend for six years; he'd been a brother. Sirius sighed softly and turned onto his back. He wouldn't be nice to Eva, he just couldn't. She was a part of something in his life that was truly dark, something that he has disowned with his families beliefs. She acted superior and he simply couldn't look past that. Similarly, he vowed that although he could never like the girl, he wouldn't go out of his way to be cruel to her, either, especially in James's presence. Satisfied with himself, Sirius fell into a deep sleep and didn't hear his best friend enter their room only minutes later.

The morning brought confusion for Eva, who found herself shivering on the common room couch. The bright sunlight of dawn poured through the stair glass windows, casting colored shadows all around her. Eva mused briefly that it felt like being in kaleidoscope, or at least in one of those ancient-looking tall cathedrals in Rome. The clock chimed dolefully, indicating that it was six in the morning. Eva had slept less than three hours. While she could probably hurry up to her bed, draw the curtains and sleep for another hour before her dorm mates began to bustle around getting ready, she took the opportunity to take a long shower, enjoying the hot water melting the chill of the common room away. She emerged from the bathroom wrapped in an oversized towel and was surprised to bump into Lily.

"What are you doing up so early?" Lily inquired, showing genuine surprise. The rest of the dorm's occupants still rested comfortably in their beds.

"Accidentally fell asleep in the common room last night," she answered shrugging. Lily didn't ask for more information and Eva was pleased to avoid the particulars. She continued getting ready, rummaging through her trunk to find something comfortable to wear to her lessons. After selecting a pair of jeans cut like men's trousers, she added a simple long sleeved black shirt. She applied foundation and black eyeliner before softly sweeping a shimmery gray shadow over her lids. A light swipe of lip gloss and she felt satisfied. By this time, her hair had mostly dried, and Lily joined her at the counter. The dorm stood eerily quiet as both girls soundlessly got ready, save for the occasional curse word as Eva gently wrapped the natural waves of her hair around a large barreled curling iron, burning her fingertips in the process.

After one particularly loud curse, Lily jumped and poked her mascara wand into the white of her eye. Letting out a louder curse word, she scrambled to flush the black makeup from her eye. Once she had calmed, Eva looked at her flustered roommate in the mirror, and simultaneously, they broke out laughing.

"I don't, I've never. I'm sorry," Lily stammered. "I don't use words like that." This only made Eva laugh harder.

"And how did that make you feel?" Eva asked in her best television therapist voice.

Lily eyed her peculiarly, tears still spilling slowly out of her injured eye, "quite good actually!"

Both girls continued laughing until Alice, who was still sleeping, hollered for them to "Shut up."

They quieted long enough to gather their school books before heading out of the dorm and bursting into a new round of laughter.

The girls were among a handful of students who had progressed to the Great Hall for breakfast. They settled into toast and tea, talking animatedly. Lily really almost didn't recognize the girl sitting in front of her. Only hours earlier, she had been a shambled mess. And the six years before that, well, she'd been distant and dismissive.

Eva felt different. She didn't want to admit that Sirius's comment had cut her as deeply as it had. At first she had been confused, mulling over that fact after James had gone to bed. Earlier this morning, and she was inhaling the steam in the shower, Eva concluded that it hurt so badly because he had been right. Eva never thought about what anyone thought about her. She purposely stayed off the radar of most people and things to avoid anyone thinking about her. It had never occurred to her that those actions would actually make people think more about her, and worse, think she was a dismissive bitch.

Eva hadn't really ever felt welcomed, or accepted, any kind of identity and self-awareness that she felt was a result of her own observations. The closest to a compliment that she had ever received from anyone, including her family, was Lily telling her that she was pretty the previous night. It wasn't that she felt cheated by the lack of contact from other people. These types of relationships were all that she'd ever known. And yet something felt so comfortable and reassuring about the way that Lily was excitedly talking to her now.

"Does that sound good to you?" Lily asked giddily. Eva realized that she had been so lost in her own self-analyzation that she hadn't heard a word from Lily. She looked at the redhead wide eyed.

"I'm sorry, kind of zoned out there for a minute," she answered tentatively sipping her steaming tea. "Does what sound good?"

Lily didn't seem phased that Eva hadn't been listening. "Hogsmeade this weekend?" she simply replied.

If she went to Hogsmeade (only once before) she had gone with James. The prospect of going with another girl and traipsing about the clothing boutiques did seem appealing. "Sure, sounds great!" she replied enthusiastically, reaching for a piece of bacon. Eva couldn't remember ever feeling so hungry. And yet, she physically felt her appetite diminish as the Marauders strode in. Heading for their usual place at the Gryffindor table, James looked stunned to see Eva seated with Lily. He sent her a pointedly questioning look and Eva couldn't help but feel like he was a little bit jealous, whether it was of her for sitting with Lily or Lily for sitting with her, she couldn't tell. She mustered up her best grin and James looked even more confused.

Lily noticed Eva retreating both verbally and physically and frantically tried to reengage her to no avail. She took her last bite of toast and stood, encouraging Eva to do the same. She was pleased to see that Eva took her cue and reached for her book bag. Lily didn't believe that avoiding confrontation was the most beneficial solution, but with the wounds still fresh and Eva's emotional evening, she wasn't going to object now. They moved down the table briskly, focusing on the door ahead of them.

Eva was relieved to have Lily there with her, and felt defiant, chin held high for one of the few times that it had at Hogwarts. She turned to Lily, mouth open to begin talking but her words were lost when someone grabbed her by the forearm. Turning sharply, fingering her wand, Eva looked hateful but softened immediately upon realizing that it been James Potter who had stopped her.

"Hey," he said simply, his voice calming. Eva was instantly disarmed.

"Hey," she replied quietly, holding his gaze, avoiding the other three sets of interested eyes on them.

"Where are you going?" James asked nodding towards Lily. Eva motioned for Lily, who looked apprehensive, to continue ahead of her. Lily hesitantly obliged, but didn't move far, leaning down to talk to a Hufflepuff prefect at the next table.

"I don't know, out of here?" Eva responded. James stood and guided Eva away from the table towards the door. He realized if he wanted to have any kind of real conversation with her, it would have to be away from the other Marauders. "What's up?" Eva asked once they were out of earshot.

"What's up? The last time I saw you, no offense Eva, but you were a mess! Next thing I know you're down hear laughing with Lily bloody Evans!" James sounded angry but the smile on his face betrayed his real feelings.

"Oh, Potter. Don't be jealous just because in six years you haven't broken through to Lily and I did in one night?" Eva was grinning madly at him.

James was overwhelmed for a minute. Was Eva joking around with him? In all of the time that he'd known her, Eva had been a hollow shell of herself. And not that one night had completely transformed her, but James noticed a difference.

"Did you just call me POTTER?" he raised his voice for effect. "You win for now Eva. I'm glad you're okay. And don't think that I won't be using you as an inner circle spy…I expect you to put in a good word." He headed back towards the table with a wink and Eva laughed briefly in spite of herself.

"Oy! Eva?" he hollered after her. She turned and faced him. "Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"Sorry Potter, I'm going with Lily," she smirked at him and met Lily at the door before they both disappeared from view.

To the other three at the table, this exchange had been bizarre to say the least. Not only was Eva not angry at him, she seemed downright happy. Sirius mused to Remus that he could count the number of times he had seen her laugh in the last six years on one hand, and including the one that they had just witnessed that made one. Remus rolled his eyes in response and Sirius dropped the issue. As James approached the table, Sirius said nothing about the interaction. He had decided before he'd drifted off the night before that he couldn't be mean to her if he didn't say or think anything about her at all.

James plopped down on the bench looking phased.

"You alright mate?" Peter asked slowly. His hesitancy was clear and a wariness to get involved in another discussion like the disastrous one the night before was palpable.

"She's going to Hogsmeade with my Evans," he sounded stunned. He looked up at his friends. "And now I have a spy on the inside!" As the four men laughed and joked together the indiscretions of the previous evening seemed all but forgotten and for one, Sirius was glad. But he knew that he would make a point to investigate James's comment about Eva protecting him at another time.

**Well here chapter three is, it's a bit lighter, but chapter 4 will reveal James and Eva's secret, unravel Eva's tough exterior and draw Lily, Eva and the Marauders together like nothing had before. Please review, I know lots of people are reading...I really appreciate whatever you have to say about my writing. Thx, Ashley.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Here it is...the chapter I've been waiting to right. This will begin the excitment. Please read and review. I would love to know what you think. I want to thank those that have me on alert...please feel free to share any critiques or praise and I would also like to thank Miss Heather for her reviews and GoodGirlzDead for her review. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

The weekend came quickly, despite busy schedules and studying. Eva was excited. Her friendship with Lily had grown tremendously throughout the week and she was thrilled to have a female friend. Lily was different from Eva in many ways, although her bossiness was offset by Eva's passiveness and Eva's who-cares demeanor counteracted her modest hesitancy. Together, they seemed like two halves of a hole. James seemed continually dismayed by the progression of their friendship as it detracted from his time with Eva. Although he certainly could appreciate a trade-off, because although Eva was spending less time with him, her influence on Lily's feelings about him was clear. She hadn't exactly jumped in his lap, but she had refrained from calling him names, mostly, and even referred to him as James occasionally in passing. In fact, earlier in the week, while both studied in the common room, Lily approached James, briefly telling him that she thought that his friendship with Eva was very admirable. After that he couldn't go back to studying.

As autumn was descending on the castle, the grounds were littered with gold, burnt amber and ruby colored leaves. The smell of winter hung lightly in the air. It was Eva's favorite weather. Not that she didn't appreciate a good snowfall or a beautiful summer's day, instead she reveled in the change in seasons and vibrant colors. In the past, she had always appreciated the changes at Hogwarts quietly, however this year, her and Lily were entrenched in a group of other students heading towards Hogsmeade. Lily commented on the same colors that Eva had always enjoyed as the dried foliage crunched under their shoes.

Both girls were dressed modestly, wearing jeans and sneakers, paired with long sleeved t-shirts and light jackets. The overall effect was comfortable and put-together. Unbeknownst to the girls, four familiar faces weren't far behind.

-

"Prongsie, don't you think it's a bit ridiculous following Evans around?" Sirius complained, throwing his Gryffindor scarf haphazardly around his shoulders. "You said yourself she's starting to come around. No sense in scaring her like you always have."

James glared at Sirius before soundlessly continuing on. Remus looked at Sirius and rolled his eyes, but didn't protest.

Although the boys were following Lily Evans, per James's request, they all had different things that interested them in Hogsmeade. Remus was fond of browsing a small bookstore, filled with secondhand, often rare magically themed books. Though he hadn't purchased anything recently, the musty smell of worn pages and cracked leather calmed him. Peter delighted in the wonderful smells of the small delicatessen, to which he often disappeared for the entirety of the Hogsmeade trip. James enjoyed the sight of Lily Evans, her face slightly flushed from the brisk walk and light wind and Sirius had heard that Madam Rosmerta's daughter had just returned from Paris, to help her run the small family pub, The Three Broomsticks. He had been told she was quite a beauty and he wanted to look for himself.

As the students reached the small village, they dispersed quickly. In the bustle, James had lost track of Lily and Eva, and instead joined Sirius on a foray into Zonkos.

-

"You must buy that!" Eva proclaimed matter-of-factly upon seeing the emerald studded brooch Lily had placed softly in the waves of her hair. Although Eva had had very limited female interaction, she was very fashionable. Pureblooded wizards often held grand galas requiring formal attire, and Eva had always enjoyed dressing up for them.

Lily looked thoughtfully at herself in the mirror before removing the piece. She glanced at the price and immediately replaced it in its velvet-covered box. Eva noticed this and didn't comment. Eva had heard her parents speak poorly of non-pureblooded wizards, often laughing at their lower status. Though Eva didn't share these views, she did understand that muggle-born witches and wizards often didn't have much money. As such, she certainly wasn't going to embarrass Lily and instead, felt bad for suggesting the boutique in the first place.

"Shall we?" Eva asked pointing towards the door. Lily appeared to be growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Sure," she replied coolly, heading back out into the sunny fall day. Lily suggested another shop, before quickly recoiling and telling Eva that she probably wouldn't like it.

"Why not? I've only ever been in a Zonkos and The Three Broomsticks. I am more than happy to go anywhere else!" Eva answered, confused.

Lily wouldn't meet her eye. "It's a secondhand clothing shop…but everything in there is mostly really nice, I even found this jacket there," Lily perked up slightly, pulling at the hem of her jacket.

"I would love to go in there," Eva replied simply, pulling her friend towards the turquoise painted door. Lily cheered considerably and the girls headed into the shop. It smelled like warm cinnamon cookies and was brightly lit. Eva had never seen anything like it. Racks of all sorts of muggle and wizard clothing hung throughout the store. Though many of them seemed jumbled, it didn't take Eva long at all to find a gorgeous black satin dress in her size. She headed to the fitting room with Lily right behind her. Lily had selected a simple ivory dress, made of soft taffeta. It had wide straps and a scooping neckline and fell in an a-line skirt just below her knees. While the girls tried the dresses on, the shopkeeper, a friendly middle-aged witch named Aurora brought them other things she thought would compliment them.

By the time they were finished, each girl was purchasing the dress that she had found and a few other items. Eva was amazed. She probably never would have come into a store like that on her own, and yet she felt so satisfied, especially when she only had to pay a few sickles for her clothing. The girls were on a high and bustled back onto the main street, swinging their bags along side them.

As they approached Honeydukes, Eva's excitement mounted. She had heard so many things from other students, returning from Hogsmeade trips, with bags full of the sweet confections the store was famous for. Her mouth practically watered. As Lily pulled the door open, Eva was greeted with the sight of most of the Marauders and decided it best to stay outside. Lily seemed doubtful but offered to pick Eva up some sweets. Eva had planned to sit outside of the shop, waiting for Lily to emerge, but her thoughts flickered back to the gorgeous emerald brooch in the first store they'd gone to. Eva knew that though she would never be able to afford it, Lily needed to have it. She smiled to herself, determined, and headed back towards the shop. She intended to purchase the item, tuck is safely inside her parcels and return before she was noticed missing. Eva was excited to be able to do something so nice for Lily, who had been so nice to her.

-

James saw Lily enter Honeydukes and gaze at the various jars of sweets that littered the shops. He paused for a brief moment and focused on her. Her eyes sparkled and her auburn hair was windblown. He liked when she looked relatively undone. She seemed to feel his gaze before meeting his eyes briefly and then looking away. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly, making James grin from ear to ear. He reveled in that feeling for a few moments before a thought of dread flashed through his mind.

"Lily," he approached her quickly. She looked up at him wide-eyed by his determination and forceful tone. "Where's Eva?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Back off Potter, she saw you lot in here and wanted to wait outside." Lily went back to browsing a bin of sugar quills.

"You left her outside? By herself?" James demanded incredulously.

Lily's annoyance turned to anger instantly. "What is your deal, Potter? She is not a child. She's a capable woman who doesn't need anyone to baby her. I thought that your concern for her was charming, but this is sick." Her eyes had narrowed and the now had the attention of most of the students in the candy shop.

"Hey! What's going on over here?" Remus questioned roughly, coming up behind James with Sirius in tow.

James didn't take his eyes off of Lily. "She's supposed to be with Eva today and clearly," he paused for emphasis, "she's not."

Though he'd taken an Eva "vow-of-silence" earlier in the week, Sirius struggled to hold his tongue. "Sod it James," he finally said, causing his friend to round and face him, offering Lily a reprieve from his menacing stare. "We're not doing this again. We chased after her last week when you were worried and she was bloody fine, sleeping under a tree as I recall it."

James looked from Sirius to Remus, who's face clearly showed agreement with Sirius and back to Lily. "Where is she waiting for you?"

"On the bench out front," Lily replied meekly, looking past James as she answered. He moved towards the doorway and looked out the large shop window. The bench was empty. He didn't bother saying anything else as he swooped through the door quickly, leaving Remus, Sirius and Lily in his wake.

-

Getting to the store where the brooch had been had taken slightly longer than Eva had thought it would. The streets and shops were cluttered with students and she had to work to remember which shop the jeweled pin had come from. Finally discovering the faded red lettering of the sign at the opposite end of High Street, Eva slipped into the shop. She quickly purchased the brooch and placed it into the pocket of her jacket securely before sliding out into the street.

It was getting later in the day, Eva noticed, and chillier, as the sun hovered near the trees surrounding Hogsmeade. She knew that Lily wouldn't be much longer and wanted to be waiting for her when she exited the shop. Eva wanted Lily to be truly surprised with the brooch, and knew that if she wasn't there when Lily had made her purchases, the redhead might get suspicious. She decided that if she moved between and behind the small shops, she could avoid the masses of students and get back to the shop much quicker. Eva pulled her jacket slightly tighter and wove through the alley.

She had reached what she recognized as the back of Dervish &Banges and knew that she was only a few shops away. She stopped briefly when she thought that she heard a noise behind her, only to see nothing. When she turned back forward, however, she discovered the unpleasant source. Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy and two other Slytherin students that she recognized were standing in front of her, blocking her path.

Bellatrix smiled coldly before purring, "hello Eva."

-

James pushed students out of his way as he searched for Eva. He tried to calm himself. Was it possible, as Lily had suggested, that she went and looked in another shop? Of course it was, and James knew that. It was the possibility that something else entirely had transpired that had him worried. He moved towards one end of High Street, then the other, circling in place as he searched the faces around him for recognition. He'd been looking for a few moments, when Sirius, Remus and Lily caught up with him. The other boys didn't seem phased, but Lily looked slightly worried.

"James-" she began quietly reaching out and resting her fingertips on his forearm. He looked at her, eyes wild, and worried.

"James, we'll help you look." Lily said encouragingly nodding for Sirius and Remus to follow them. Sirius looked less than pleased. Hadn't he just done this very same thing earlier in the week?

They decided to stay together as they moved through students. A considerable amount of time had passed since James had noticed Eva missing and students were beginning to head back to the castle. Hogsmeade was growing quieter and even Sirius had begun to grow uneasy as many of the nearby shops had begun to close. Where was she?

-

Eva stood silently at first. She had learned long before not to provoke, if she didn't have to. She wasn't terribly aggressive, though she would fight if she needed to, she wholly preferred to avoid it. She tried to move past the group, hoping they were just trying to intimidate her. Lucius grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face the group.

"Where do you think you're headed?" he asked. If Eva didn't know better, it almost sounded like a friendly question instead of a menacing statement.

"Back to my friends," Eva replied softly. It became clear quickly that this had been the wrong answer. She was shoved roughly to the ground. She fumbled for her wand, realizing that the heavy brooch prevented her from quickly removing it from her pocket. Before she could chart another course of action, four wands were upon her.

"Friends?" Bellatrix sneered. "Blood-traitors and filthy mudbloods. Didn't know your family was so…sympathetic to the miscreants of the world."

Eva felt her face get hot and she wanted to protest. She thought better of encouraging her attackers, but she felt grateful for the care that Lily and James had given her and knew that they deserved to be defended.

"I would rather be friends with them, than any of you," she spat back, scrambling to her feet. Her left ankle felt sensitive and weak, but she forced herself to stand anyway. She was not below them, and wouldn't allow them to think that she was.

"Your poor parents," Bellatrix cooed mockingly, her voice almost singsong. "I'll be sure to pass on to my family, and the Dark Lord…" she was almost whispering now, "how ungrateful and undeserving your family are of their pureblood status."

Eva surged forward, disregarding the wand being thrust in her face, "you will leave my friends and my family out of this." Eva challenged Bellatrix with her eyes.

Bellatrix considered Eva thoughtfully for a moment before prodding her backwards with her wand. Eva stepped back quickly, rolling her ankle again in the process. She fell backwards and landed hard on her back. Throwing caution to the wind, Eva plunged her hand into her pocket searching for the familiar smooth wood of her wand. Before she could pull it our, she saw Bellatrix pull her wand back and knew she was out of time. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the pain she knew that she was about to endure.

"CRUCIO!"

-

Hogsmeade was practically empty and many shop keepers had turned on their outside lights casting dim shadows over everything. They were all frantic now, something had gone terribly wrong.

"CRUCIO!" They heard it before they saw anything. An unforgivable curse. Sparks of green dotted the air in an alley a few shops from where they stood and none of them hesitated to pull their wands and hurry towards them.

None of them were prepared for what they saw. Four Slytherins, Bellatrix Black the only one discernable in the light, crowded behind a small shop. Bellatrix laughed gleefully as her wand danced through the air. Quickly and with horror, James, Remus, Lily and Sirius realized that Eva's body, possibly unconscious, was responding to the flicks of Bellatrix's wand. Eva moved up and down with sickly motion, her eyes unmoving as she struck the ground roughly.

Lily hadn't meant to, but she screamed.

-

As the curse hit her, Eva felt scorching pain seer through her body. Her bones seemed to splinter and pull in opposite directions. She was slipping in and out of unconsciousness. She felt her head hit the ground once and twice and then she lost count. She knew that she was badly injured and that she was probably going to die here. The pain became unbearable and Eva was unconscious again.

-

Hearing the scream, Bellatrix rounded on Lily and the Marauders, breaking her spell. Eva's body hit the ground like a discarded doll with a sickening smack. Her body lay at unnatural angles.

Lily sobbed slowly, her wand shaking in her hand. She drew it and pointed it at Bellatrix.

"Crucio!"

Bellatrix laughed slowly and deliberately. "Sorry mudblood, in order for that to work, you have to mean it."

Though stunned that their head girl had tried to use an unforgivable curse so no avail, the other three did not hesitate. They moved in on the Slytherins, wands drawn. James was hesitant to draw the first blow. Though he was feeling hate like he never had before, he knew that Eva lay near him dying and she needed medical attention.

He knew that his friends had their wands drawn and dropped to his knees beside the crumpled figure. He couldn't tell if she was breathing. He heard footsteps fast approaching and looked up to see Lily, Sirius and Remus.

"They disapparated," Remus answered. James nodded quickly before delegating tasks.

"Remus and Lily take the Honeydukes passage to the castle. Remus go to the hospital wing and tell them that we're coming. Lily go straight to Dumbledore. She can't even side along apparate to the castle grounds like this. Sirius and I will have to carry her. Go." He commanded. Lily and Remus disappeared immediately and Sirius moved with him to pick up the fragile body at their feet.

Moments later, as they hurried towards the castle, trying not to jostle Eva's body, James realized that tears ran down his cheeks. He didn't try to hide them. Instead he bent closer to Eva. She smelled like cinnamon sugar cookies. He didn't know if she could hear him, or even if she was alive, but he knew he had to say it.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed audibly. "I promised you that I would protect you. That this would never happen again. I should have been there sooner…Eva…please, please be okay."

Sirius looked on silently, tears stinging his eyes for his friend's grief and for the life that lay dying in his arms. He had never experienced death and he had never felt so helpless.

**So you will get the full breakout of what happened to Eva in year two in the next chapter. I felt that this was a really good place to end it. Please review, I would love to know what you think! Thanks -Ashley**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Here is another chapter...It's one of the last truly downer chapters. I don't want anyone thinking that this story is dark and angsty. There's a fair amount of those things, but there are other things too. I have big plans for this story. First I want to thank my reviewers:**

**lucinda-here's another chapter for you!**

**GoodGirlzDead-don't worry, I wholly appreciate your comments, good or bad. I know that I'm not perfect so it's always helpful to have reviews with ideas and thoughts to rely on. I assure you that this story will be anything but predictable. You'll see in this chapter. Sirius doesn't automatically love Eva now that she's hurt, in fact he has a lot of anger towards her. Eventually he will get past it, but I'm not writing one dimensional stereotypical characters. When I think of Sirius, I think of him struggling with his own issues of good vs. evil and the duality of him vs. his family and toll that it takes. I'm glad that you appreciate the difference in my characters, keep up the nitpicking! I love it.**

**Riley Baragon-Similar to GoodGirlzDead review, I am SO glad that you like my original OC. I tried to really think hard about all of the things that would have been going on around them, distance from their families (Eva and Sirius) and the building war and school and friends and blah blah blah. I don't like to read obvious stories with obvious characters, so I don't write them. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Not much Eva, but some dark Sirius and some background. **

**Haruka Shinigami-thanks for the review! Good catch on the apparation! I changed it as soon as I read your review, I guess I got too caught up in the chapter. THANKS**

**Thanks again for the reviews, Keep them up! They're helpful and interesting, and they make me want to write and update more. **

**This is kind of an intermediate chapter. As I addressed to my reviewers, Eva and Sirius are not going to magically fall in love, but the story will get more interesting and you will see more of the layers of Sirius (there are a lot) while he comes to terms with what it means to be pureblooded, what it means to be pureblooded but believe in equality and how all of those things effect him. He can't accept Eva until he accepts himself and he will struggle with that a bit until he can understand that he's not wholly evil even though he comes from a "bad" family and neither is she. Enough of my ramblings, it all makes sense in my head and is laid out to be an exciting, dynamic, wonderful (if I do say so myself) story with a lof of exciting twists and turns along the way. I promise not to disappoint. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Time had stopped, James was sure of it. He felt like his movements were in slow motion. He heard nothing but his own ragged breathing and heavy footsteps. By the time they had reached the hospital wing, a small group was waiting for them. Lily gasped audibly when she saw Eva and Remus reached quickly to comfort her. The normally cheery headmaster looked grave and Madam Pomfrey spoke hurriedly with two other people that James denoted as healers based on their trademark robes.

He and Sirius placed her down as gently as possible, which still felt rough to James. Her normally vibrant blue gray eyes lay half open, fixed. Her skin, always relatively pale, was almost transparent and her hair was matted with blood. James and Sirius were swept out of the room and the door shut swiftly behind them. They joined Lily and Remus in the corridor.

-

The group waited silently for hours, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Remus was concerned for Eva, but also for the unrest of the pureblooded community. His differences from pureblooded wizards were seen as even more despicable than muggle borns and he knew that it didn't bode well for him.

Lily was overwhelmed with guilt. Had she not left Eva alone she wouldn't have encountered the Slytherins in the alley. What had Eva even been doing? Lily was also beside herself that she had uttered an unforgivable curse. Even if it hadn't worked, she'd intended to use it, hadn't she? On another student? She hadn't really meant it according to Bellatrix, but somehow she didn't feel that that was true. On some level, she wished that she had hurt, even killed Bellatrix for her unacceptable abuse. Lily looked at James next to her. His head was buried in his hands and he was shaking slightly. She watched his shoulders twitch under the heavy responsibility that he must be feeling. Delicately, she pulled a hand away from his face and grasped it in hers. He looked at her slowly before rubbing his face with his other hand and returning her firm grip.

His mind was all over the place. A part of him wanted to be angry with Lily, even with Eva. What were they thinking? But Lily hadn't known about Eva's history and Eva hadn't ever paid much mind to it. When Eva had faced off with Slytherins the last time, and lost miserably, she had gone to the hospital wing but refused to admit what had happened. James wondered if she would refuse to tell again this time. He suspected that Dumbledore knew regardless, but knew that the Headmaster couldn't reprimand those responsible without Eva's accusation.

Even if she didn't want to tell, James would. He was sure of it. He clenched his jaw in resignation. After all, he had seen what had happened. He had watched her torment first hand. His thoughts stopped dead. If Eva didn't live through this, she wouldn't be able to tell and the others would be left to avenge her. He buried his face in his free hand again.

Sirius watched all of his friends curiously. While he understood the gravity of the situation, he felt no particular concern for the girl who lay on the other side of the doors. He had to admit that he'd been surprised by James's comment as they had carried her to the castle. He was very interested in what had happened to her years before and how it pertained to him, as James had indicated. He was also violently angry with his cousin Bellatrix. She was evil, Sirius was sure of that. He knew that the Dark Lord, as they called him, was gaining power and following in the wizarding world. He knew that most pure blooded wizards felt allegiance to him and that the Black family was one of his biggest supporters. He looked across the room at his friend James and anger bubbled within him. They had hurt Eva which had hurt James, and that was not acceptable. Sirius knew that he would help defeat the Dark Lord, or die trying.

Time continued to pass with little interruption. The students had agreed at one point that the lack of news must mean that Eva was hanging on, even if barely, because it would have been cruel to prolong telling them of her death.

Sirius was bored to tears. He should have been relaxing in the common room, playing wizards chess or exploding snap with Peter. Where was Peter come to think of it? Sirius figured he was probably wondering where all of them were. Hogsmeade was deserted by the time they had fled with Eva. Other students were probably blissfully unaware that anything had happened. He shifted briefly, meaning to get up before James had looked at him with dramatically hurt eyes and he pretended just to be stretching.

Once, they all looked up hopefully as the doors opened slightly. The healers moved past them without offering any comfort of intuition. That seemed to be a dangerous omen and cast an even darker cloud over the hallway.

Finally as morning seemed to be beginning to edge through the tall stained glass windows lining the halls, Dumbledore emerged. He closed the door quickly behind him and motioned for the students to gather round.

"Miss. Malise has made it through the worst of it," he announced quickly. The students around him looked relieved. "However, we are not through the worst of it yet. She has suffered gravely, and I fear will be permanently damaged and scarred both mentally and physically. She will need all of you and your constant support and vigilance." He trailed off and studied the faces around him.

"Professor-" Lily began.

"Miss. Evans, I have viewed Miss. Malise's memory of the events that transpired today. You have been a valiant friend to her and your efforts to defend her were most admirable. Necessary action will be taken against those that have done harm today. It has been a long evening. I urge you to get some rest and perhaps, come visit in the evening." The headmaster finished speaking and whisked past the group and down the staircase.

Without saying much, they followed. Lily still grasped James's hand tightly, neither were sure which needed the stability more. They reached the common room and entered. The room was silent except for the occasional crackle of the ill tended to fire. Sirius and Remus mounted the stairs to the boys dorm. Once the door was firmly shut behind them, James enveloped Lily in a tight embrace, not bothering to wipe away either of their tears. He had never felt so emotionally close to someone in his life. They stayed that way for another long minute before parting.

Lily turned away briefly, her cheeks bright with an embarrassed crimson. She wiped the wetness from her face and took a deep breath before facing James. They both looked rough, that she was sure. It was still early, but she knew that the elves would soon be finished preparing breakfast.

"I don't think that I can go up into that room," she pointed towards the dorms. "I know that I won't be able to sleep, especially not looking at Eva's empty bed. I am going to try and eat something. Come with me?"

James nodded slowly and they headed down to the great hall.

-

Throughout the day as word spread, students began asking Lily, Remus, James and Sirius what had happened. Not even Sirius felt it appropriate to talk about. To escape the questions, they huddled together near the fireplace in the common room. James and Lily had split briefly in the late morning for a long nap and both were looking slightly more refreshed than they had earlier. Sirius and Remus had slept much of the day and all four had still been excused from classes the following day.

Sirius thought that it was a godsend. Instead, his friends and Lily decided that they would rather be in classes and he begrudgingly agreed. If they were all going to classes, he should too. He didn't, however, agree to visit Eva in the hospital wing.

Waiting until many students had settled into their beds in the evening to avoid questioning, Lily, Remus and James headed up to visit Eva. She wasn't awake and didn't stir during their visit. Madam Pomfrey had informed them that she was in a deep sleep while her internal injuries painfully healed. Even after being healed, Lily was overwhelmed by how Eva looked. Her face held a few bruises and a deep cut that appeared as a scar below her right eye. The scar was only about an inch long, but was highly visible on her pale skin. While Lily studied Eva's face, James looked at the rest of her body peaking out from under her blankets. He could see her left hand, which although swollen, appeared fine and through her hospital gown, he could see a long scar that stretched from the back of her right shoulder diagonally across her décolletage and disappearing into her breasts. His cheeks flushed slightly and he focused on her face. The scar was likely where the curse first struck her, and like all dark magic would leave a mark on her body permanently.

Her breathing remained shallow though audible and her eyelashes fluttered as though she was dreaming. James hoped that she was having good dreams. He bend and kissed her lightly on the cheek as they were leaving.

-

"That wasn't really what I expected," Remus confessed when they entered the common room. A few students dotted the various tables and chairs. Sirius and Peter came to join them.

"How is Eva?" Peter asked. They had found out earlier in the afternoon that Peter hadn't seen them and returned from Hogsmeade early.

James shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey said that they think she'll pull through. But honestly, she looks awful."

"That's what I thought," Lily agreed. "I mean, I guess I thought that magic could heal you."

Remus, who was more than familiar with magical healing answered, "it can only heal so much. Eva's injuries were severe from what I understand. They don't know how she'll be when she wakes up."

"Right," Lily said. "I just wasn't expecting the scars."

"Scars?" Sirius piped up for the first time.

"Yeah, Padfoot, she has a scar on her face and all the way across her chest and who knows what else. They're likely permanent," James answered. "She has one on her stomach from…" he trailed off.

"From the last time?" Lily offered. James nodded. "I read once that what an unforgivable curse enters your body, if you survive, you wear a mark where it entered your body forever. James, if you don't feel comfortable enough to, that's fine, but would you please tell us what happened to Eva last time. It's just…I think it would help us understand this situation better…"

James looked hesitant, "I just don't think it's anyone's business!" He was angry.

Lily, who normally recoiled at this type of behavior narrowed her eyes at him. "James, I think it's our business. We could have been killed yesterday! I used a bloody unforgivable curse!" Her eyes were now wild and Peter looked started, apparently he hadn't heard the entirety of the confrontation.

James nodded slowly. "Alright, but this stays between us. This isn't for anyone else to know anything about. Eva wanted it that way and I've kept it that way and now I will expect YOU to keep it that way." He sounded determined and nobody challenged him. They moved and sat at their usual place by the fire.

"Well," he began slowly making eye contact with each person in the group. "Second year, I was out with my invisibility cloak-yes Lily, I have an invisibility cloak, now is not the time. I couldn't sleep. I was wondering around the castle, trying to discover any new secret passageways-"

"Did you?" Peter interrupted. Lily shot him a nasty look.

"Actually, I was in the dungeons and that's when I found the entrance to the kitchens," he answered thoughtfully. "Anyway, I heard voices and I stood close to the wall and listened. At first I thought it must be professors, out so late at night. But as I got closer, I realized that they were students. I heard three voices, but didn't recognize any of them, so I rounded the corner into the corridor they were in. The hallway was cast in shadows and I could only see the backs of two of them. They were wearing Slytherin robes. The third was obstructed behind them and I almost turned and left. I figured it was three Slytherins up to no good and I didn't want to get caught up in it. Especially when there were three of them and only one of me."

James stopped briefly to clear his throat. "I was moving backwards slowly, trying to be quiet when I heard one of them mention Sirius. While I wasn't about to pull the cloak off and reveal myself, I certainly was interested. I moved so that I could see all of them. I was surprised to realize that two of them were girls. The Slytherins were Bellatrix and Malfoy and the other girl, a small Gryffindor who I didn't know, Eva. That's when I realized that Bellatrix and Malfoy had their wands drawn. I pulled mine out of my pocket. The girl, Eva, looked terrified and confused. Before I knew what had happened, Malfoy had performed the Cruciatus curse, and the girl was dancing in the air, a look of pain and fear frozen on her face."

James stopped and looked at the group. All were waiting quietly and Lily nodded softly, urging him to continue.

"I panicked for a moment, and just stood there. I bloody stood there and watched it happen! When I realized what I was doing, I stunned them both. I grabbed the cloak, not bothering to put it over us, and I picked up the girl. She was so tiny. I took her to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey let me wait with her all night. We talked a little in the morning when she was feeling better. Luckily her injuries weren't terribly bad. She had a lot of bruises and a big cut that she hesitantly showed me on her stomach. The scar is still there." He finished and looked at his friends.

"I don't understand why that had anything to do with me," Sirius said casually a minute later. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, replaying the story in their head. They focused on James once again, awaiting his answer.

"I didn't find out until sometime later. You guys know that I started to hang out with Eva a lot, follow her around-"

"We just thought you liked her," Peter smirked. Sirius chuckled and Remus hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Ha, ha. One day we were talking and she brought it up out of nowhere. I didn't even know she was pureblooded. In fact, I figured it had been the opposite-would have explained why she was being targeted by the Slytherins. She told me that she'd known both Bellatrix and Lucius when they were children, that their families were close. They had invited her to the dungeons. Told her that they had a message from her parents and she went to meet them. Instead they started to accuse her of being less than pure, loving muggles and being just like the blood traitor Sirius Black. That's when I turned back. I heard the rest of it, though it didn't make sense until she told me that part…she said that all wizards were the same and that Sirius Black wasn't a blood traitor, he was right. That's when they cursed her."

He looked at the people around him. Lily looked thrilled at Eva's declaration of equality. Remus looked pensive and Sirius looked startled.

"I didn't even know her," he said softly. Though it sounded like a realization and a softening towards Eva, Sirius felt annoyed. He could fight his own fights. He didn't need some little girl trying to be a martyr and defend him. Did she think that he was weak? Did she think that her words would be enough to convince the Slytherins and they all could live happily ever after? It was a ridiculous series of thoughts. He didn't need her and he didn't want her to ever speak his name again. Disgusted he stood and headed to the dorms, not caring what anyone else had to say.

**There it is! I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks. I'm working on the next chapter and it's a good one! Please REVIEW! -Ashley**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello...I know it's been about a week since I updated, I'm sorry! It has been a busy one. But I think this chapter is worth the wait. I have a lot of exciting plot nuances planned and one of them is put into place in this chapter. The story will begin to move along a bit quicker go forward, exploring lots of exciting (but believable) plot twists...before culminating with an explosive ending that no one will expect. I'm excited...are you? **

**Miss Heather: Welcome back! I missed your reviews! I'm glad that you like my version of Sirius...it's how I think he would've been too. And no, I won't mess up Eva's mental health too badly, although as you can see below, her parents have screwed with her mental health quite enough. I love James in this story too...I don't mind the "James eventually breaks down Lily's resistence love stories" but I feel like maybe it is reasonable that he has a softer side, too. Let me know what you think of all of our characters here...**

**GoodGirlzDead: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter...there were parts of it that I struggled a bit with. I LOVE this chapter, so I hope you will too. It flowed naturally as I was writing it and as a result I wrote it quickly. Sometimes even I don't know what's going to happen with this story! I mean, I have some major plot points figured out, but other things spring into my mind as I'm writing and I get excited, too. As far as James's anger about Lily inquiring about the story, I guess I was just thinking that James was really overwhelmed by the events that had transpired and worried, etc. He'd kept Eva's secrets for so long, that to have someone asking about them was too much right after everything else had happened I guess. In my mind, then he realized that Lily didn't mean any harm, so he offered up the information. I hope this helps explain...your reviews are so helpful because sometimes things make sense in my head and I don't get them onto the paper quite as clearly. Thanks!**

**Enjoy (and Review)!**

Chapter 6

Almost a week had passed since Eva's "accident" –she refused to talk about it with anyone, and quickly dismissed anyone who felt the need to refer to it in any way. James and Lily had taken to calling it "the incident" or the "accident" in Eva's presence as it seemed to cause less of a reaction. Though she was still in the hospital wing, her condition had improved increasingly. Lily routinely sat with her in the evenings, recounting the day's lessons or discussing the latest fashions in Witch Weekly.

Lily continued to struggle with her overwhelming guilt for leaving Eva alone. Sensing her guilt, James had been careful not to berate her or mention how "the incident" came to be. He had assured her on multiple occasions that she couldn't have known. She always nodded half-heartedly, though not really listening. Eva suspected Lily's guilt, as the redhead often refused to leave her side. This particular day, a Saturday according to the tally marks Eva kept on a notepad near her bedside, Lily had even brought her meals up to the hospital wing. Eva appreciated Lily's dedication, though she felt bad for causing Lily anguish.

James visited often and also brought Remus regularly. Eva felt endeared to Remus, who she'd never known or bothered with before…before Hogsmeade. His intelligent rhetoric and calm demeanor soothed her, especially when James was fussing over her. Eva had been hoping that Sirius would visit. Despite their history, she owed him gratitude for her rescue. She had mentioned this to both James and Lily on Friday evening and wasn't entirely surprised when the door opened Saturday mid-afternoon and James and Remus entered followed by Sirius. Lily quickly moved to a chair on the opposite side of her bed to accommodate the visitors.

-

Sirius didn't want to be going to the hospital wing. However, two things prodded him along. James had asked, really out rightly BEGGED, him to come. And the second thing, really, was his own curiosity. He had been hearing about Eva's "condition" and her scars and how she was for several days now. Not only did his friends talk about her after their visits, but the entirety of Hogwarts were buzzing about things that they suspected. Sirius simply wanted to separate fact from fiction and see for himself. James had told him that Eva wanted to thank him, something that James had likely thought that would make him want to come. It had had the opposite effect. In fact, the thought of Eva thanking him made him feel slightly sick. Did she expect a "thank-you" for sticking up for him years before? Because if she did, she was out of luck.

When they reached the hospital wing, James and Remus passed through the door first. Sirius briefly considered hurrying back the way that he came before slumping through the door after them. As they approached Eva's bed, Sirius continued to hang back, opting to stand several feet away as his friends made themselves comfortable. They exchanged pleasantries and asked how she was before her eyes settled on Sirius. She did exactly what he'd hoped she wouldn't. She asked the others to leave them for a minute. After they complied, moving across the room, she urged him to sit. As he did, he looked at her for the first time. Her eyes seemed a bit dull and she appeared a bit frail, other than that she looked wholly the same. The scar on her face was already faded and had clearly started as a small abrasion. It was about an inch long, just below her eye and oddly almost added a softness to her face.

"So..." Sirius began.

"I just wanted to thank you. I mean, I know we haven't had the greatest history, but you helped me. I can't thank you enough for that-" she moved to continue but a wave of Sirius's hand stopped her.

"I did it for James." He spoke slowly and deliberately. It was cold.

Eva dropped her gaze and looked instead at her hands. Though she hadn't expected them to instantly be friends, she also hadn't expected an instant brush off. Was he saying that if James hadn't been there or if James hadn't cared about her that he would have let her die? Dark thoughts settled easily in her mind and she felt hurt bubble up inside of her. She had never cared to be friends with Sirius Black, but she also had never expected him to hate her.

Eva looked at her friends laughing on the other side of the room and was grateful that they hadn't heard the exchange. She nodded softly, and acknowledged his words while staring straight ahead. Sirius took the opportunity to continue addressing her appearance. James had been right, she did have a large scar that snaked from her shoulder blade across her chest. While surely it had been an angry red when she'd first gotten it, it appeared only slightly darker than her flesh. For a brief moment, Sirius had the urge to pull her dressing gown aside and find the end of the scar, not for any sexual reason, but because he wanted to see where it ended and feel the rigid flesh under his fingers. Feeling his gaze, Eva pulled her robe up self-consciously. Neither seemed sure what to say next.

The other three appeared quickly and resumed normal conversation. Though Eva seemed withdrawn, it wasn't uncommon since "the incident" and no one connected that it had been Sirius who had riled her. Sirius waited a bit and excused himself, mumbling excuses about finding Peter who had noticeably more absent lately.

-

Eva and Lily were alone. The boys had headed to dinner, vowing to bring both girls back food.

"Will you fetch my coat for me please?" Eva asked Lily. All of her belongings had been tucked in a cubby near her bed. Lily moved quickly and handed Eva the black and white wool coat. Eva reached and fumbled around in her pocket, pulling out a parcel wrapped in ruby red paper and tied with a black satin bow. Lily eyed her curiously.

"Lily, I have something for you," Eva said, reaching to hand Lily the parcel. Lily locked eyes with Eva before untying the ribbon to reveal the brooch she had admired in Hogsmeade. Her eyes grew glassy with tears and she brushed the surface of the brooch with her fingertips. When she looked back at Eva, her eyes were filled with many emotions.

"I-," she swallowed hard. "I can't keep this, Eva." Eva was confused.

"But you wanted it, you wanted it so badly…and you have been so good to me that I wanted to give it to you, of course you MUST keep it."

"Please tell me that-that this isn't where you went when…" she trailed off looking at Eva pleadingly. Realization dawned on Eva.

"Lily, this is not your fault!" Eva cried, launching herself from her bed. Pain ripped through her abdomen but it didn't stop her as she gripped her friend tightly. Lily's body shook with sobs. "I opted to go back for it because I wanted to get it for you. It was my decision."

Lily didn't stop, instead she seemed to cry harder, the past week's feelings of guilt and worry pouring out of her. Minutes passed and her tears subsided. She looked at Eva hesitantly before looking at the brooch and pushing it across the bedside table towards Eva. "I can't keep it." She shook her head violently, with wide eyes. "I can't think about what that brooch represents, what it physically cost you." The thought that every time she would touch it or wear it, she would think about what happened to Eva in Hogsmeade was simply too much.

"I understand. But do you know what that brooch means to me? It means unending friendship. It means trust. It means not caring what other people think about someone. It means you and me, Lily." This time Eva was the one getting emotional. She looked at Lily, pleading with her to keep it. Eva caught herself before she betrayed too many of her emotions.

Lily was nodding slowly. She lifted the brooch from it's packaging and secured it in her hair. Eva gasped, it was perfect. She was pleased that she'd gotten Lily the brooch, despite what it had almost cost her. Her life.

-

Later that evening in the Gryffindor Common room, a party was in full swing. Normally held the weekend before at the start of term, it had been postponed for obvious reasons. While most of the Gryffindor students were enjoying themselves wholeheartedly, some of the more notorious Gryffindor partiers were acting suspiciously low-key.

James and Remus were sitting at a table almost hidden underneath the boy's dormitory stairs. Lily sat with them. They were talking loudly, compensating for the music. Lily had mentioned when she had returned from the dorms that she hadn't felt much like a party. James nodded in understanding, feeling a bit guilty as he thought about Eva. Then, he reasoned, Eva wasn't really the type to enjoy this type of function either.

Sirius was irritated. His friends were acting as if someone died. She didn't die. She was fine. He rolled his eyes and turned back towards the party. Peter had turned up briefly at dinner but was gone again. Maybe he had found a lady friend? Sirius laughed inwardly at his musing. He picked up a bottle of fire whiskey and cracked it open, taking a long sip. Normally the Marauders loved things like this. It looked like he was going to have to make his own fun.

-

Hours later, sometime around midnight, many of the students had given up the party. Lily and Remus had retired to their respective dorms and James sat near the fire, looking drowsy. A number of students still were lazed about. Sirius had a fifth year girl perched in his lap. He didn't know her name. It wasn't as though he had forgotten it, he'd never bothered to ask. She pecked him regularly on the lips. James stood and mumbled his goodnight. A short time later, Sirius was bored. He moved the girl from his lap, grunting an excuse and went to get more fire whiskey.

With James's invisibility cloak thrown haphazardly over his shoulders and the fire whiskey pumping through his veins, he felt invincible. He moved quickly through hallways, stealthily scaling staircases and maneuvering corners. His goal was the passage that led to Hogsmeade. He had made this journey before and had returned triumphant. This time was a little different, instead of an excited common-room full of students awaiting his return, they would likely be asleep, as most had already retreated to their dormitories. He reached the entrance to the passageway and paused. Why was he even doing this? His jokes and pranks, and even his "girls" were usually only meant for others to envy, to fawn over and emblaze him in other's minds as a bit of a legend. He was drunk, he knew that. He didn't need any more fire whiskey. Especially since Remus had taken to refusing to brew him any hangover relieving potions as of late, explaining that Sirius needed to grow up and take responsibility for himself for once.

Even in the dark corridor through the drunk haze of his mind, Sirius knew that his friends had changed. Though they still valued him and celebrated the rogue charm that made him who he was, they were seemingly moving forward while he felt very stagnant. James had laid off the pranking lately, partially because he wanted to finally impress Lily, but Sirius had a feeling it was also partially because he didn't find them as amusing as before. Remus had always been responsible and grounded the group, so there wasn't much of a change there, but even Peter seemed to be moving away from the group. Was it because he, too was moving past the juvenile antics that had made the Marauders the Marauders?

Sirius shook his head, the introspection had to be a result of the drink and the anger. As his head cleared, he was surprised that he had made his way to the hospital wing. He paused, thinking. Maybe Eva was to blame for this change in his friends. Though he realized that this was an unlikely thought, his mind was having a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction at the moment. He soundlessly opened the door and moved inside.

The room was dark and Sirius reached for his wand to cast some light. He fumbled through his pockets, realizing in his haste, he had left his wand in his room.

"No matter," he thought to himself as he moved through the room. Eva was not the only student here. Two other figures lay on beds nearby. Sirius's eyes were adjusting to the dark, aided by the moonlight filtering through the tall windows at the end of the room. He found her bed easily and sat in the chair Lily had vacated only hours earlier. Eva was laying on her side, facing him. One of her hands was tucked carefully under her head and the other hung limply at her side. Her dressing gown hung loosely around her shoulders and Sirius again found himself eager to reach out and touch her scar. He was moving the invisibility cloak off of his shoulder and extending his arm when he heard the door open and quiet voices filter in.

He jumped back, moving around the bed next to Eva's, the invisibility cloak firmly in place. Three wands were illuminated and moving towards him. He felt worried, scared even. If he or Eva were being attacked, he could do nothing to thwart the attackers.

"I didn't expect you this time of evening," a voice he recognized as Madam Pomfrey explained hurriedly.

"We've had other business to attend to," a man's voice replied icily. Madam Pomfrey nodded quietly.

"She is here. She has taken a sleeping potion and will not wake until morning. Her injuries are healing quite well. Dumbledore is impressed with her progress."

"No doubt he is," this time it was a woman's snide response. "We will need to speak with Eva. Could you wake her please?"

Sirius caught a look at their faces for the first time. He instantly recognized Mr. and Mrs. Malise from his youth. Mr. Malise appeared almost gaunt. His facial features were sharp and protruding. He had dark, sinister eyes and dark hair. His wife, likely a beauty in her day, looked worn. She shared many similar traits with her daughter. Her once silver blue eyes had grown steely and dull and her pale skin, once very taut and attractive, hung slightly from her features. Though she still was attractive overall, the spark had disappeared from her.

Sirius looked from the couple to Madam Pomfrey. The middle-aged witch looked almost frightened. She opened her mouth and closed it twice before responding. "With all due respect, madam, the rest that Miss. Malise gets during the night is integral to her healing. Waking her from her sleep could cause her severe pain and delay the healing process."

Mr. Malise rounded on Madam Pomfrey and spoke deliberately, "with all DUE respect, we are her parents, and her mother has asked you to wake her."

Madam Pomfrey mumbled a soft "of course" before hurrying to her office and busying herself with potion making. Sirius wanted to escape, but was riveted with fear to his place. He knew much about the Malise family, and he didn't want to leave Madam Pomfrey alone with them, especially at this late hour. His senses immediately sharpened and he felt sober, his mind reacting clearly for the first time in hours.

Madam Pomfrey returned with a potion and tipped Eva's head back, gently pouring the potion in her mouth. It took a few moments, and the nurse loitered, waiting for her patient to awake. As Eva began to stir, Mr. Malise turned to Madam Pomfrey and curtly stated, "Leave us."

She did as she was told, retreating to her office. Sirius's attention shifted to the family reunion occurring in front of him. Eva moved slowly, her eyelids fluttering, before she moved a hand to her eyes, clearing the sleep from them.

"Mom? Dad?" she asked softly, confused.

"How are you, Eva," her mother asked briefly.

"I'm okay, why are you here?" the question may have seemed odd to James, and especially to Lily, who'd grown up in loving homes, but to Sirius, this was typical of pureblood parent-child relationships. Parents were not meant to comfort or coddle.

"We are here to speak with you," her father offered. "We need to discuss the Black family."

Sirius's ears burned. His face likely showed the same confusion as Eva's.

"As you likely know, Bellatrix Black has been expelled from Hogwarts," he continued.

Realization dawned on Sirius. Eva apparently remained oblivious to what was about to happen, but if she understood, she gave no indication.

"Obviously, this is a horrible mark against our family, especially after you were sorted into that mudblood filled house," her mother offered, disgust dripping from her words. Sirius noted that no concern was being shown for Eva, that her parents were more upset with her for reporting the situation. He wanted to speak out, against the Malise's, against the Dark Arts, against the Black Family and mostly against the dark force that was building, which the Malise's and the Black's were clearly a part of. He wasn't prepared for the shock of what he heard next.

"I am sorry," Eva answered clearly, not making eye contact. "What will you have me do?"

"You will go to the headmaster, immediately in the morning. Tell him that it was through your own stupid and benign actions that these injuries befell you and that they were not at the mercy of another student. Do you understand?" Mr. Malise's words rang loudly through the room. If the other patients or Madam Pomfrey heard this exchange, they remained soundless and motionless.

"Yes, sir." Her parents nodded quickly before her mother placed a hand on Eva's cheek briefly. Without another word, they exited as quickly as they had come.

Sirius stared incredulously after their retreating figures, long after they'd likely left the castle. Surely, though he and Eva had their differences, she wasn't going to change her story and let a potential murderer back in the school, was she? Even if she did change her story, Sirius was confident that it wouldn't change Dumbledore's decision.

Madam Pomfrey scurried towards Eva. Eva was staring straight ahead, Sirius noticed. He moved slightly, and he thought she looked right at him, though he was still under the invisibility cloak.

"Here, dear, this will make you sleep," the nurse offered the potion and Eva drank it soundlessly, offering a sad smile to Madam Pomfrey when she'd finished. The woman disappeared again and Eva looked tired as she drifted into another dreamless sleep.

Sirius waited a few moments, to be sure that he could escape undetected and moved quickly from the room. Arriving at the Gryffindor common room only moments later, he realized that he was feeling something resembling pity for Eva.

That pity, however, was short lived when two days later, Bellatrix returned to the castle.

**There you have it, things will start to speed up a bit from here, I don't want this to be an overwhelmingly long story...but I love your reviews and hearing what you think. Please?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been much longer than it ever should have been since I've updated. I literally hit a brick wall with this story and would write a page or two and then go back and delete it because it didn't feel right. Good news! I have pushed through it and am really satisfied with this chapter. Everything is falling into place now for us to see some interaction between our main characters and I will be updating regularly again. Let me know what you think! Enjoy! -Ashley**

Chapter 7

Eva moved through the castle. Nothing about this would seem out of the ordinary, save for the other student following her. Tucked under the invisibility cloak, Sirius obsessively tailed Eva. He had been on her heels ever since Bellatrix had reappeared in the castle.

Naturally Lily and James had been shocked when Bellatrix strolled into the Great Hall. They had fired questions at Eva, oblivious that it had been her that had caused Bellatrix to be allowed to return. Lily had tried to talk to the headmaster, insisting that she, along with other students didn't feel safe with that kind of presence in Hogwarts, but it had gotten her nowhere.

Eva sensed that someone was behind her and spun quickly. The corridor was abandoned. She couldn't shake the feeling of being followed since Bellatrix had returned to the castle. She knew that her parents were likely pleased when she'd gone to the headmaster. Dumbledore had been less than accommodating but she was desperate and eventually he relented, likely understanding there was a need behind her desperation. Dumbledore always seemed to know what everyone was thinking. Before she left his office, he reminded her that he was always available for his students should they need anything.

Eva remembered that moment fondly, however, she knew that there was nothing that he could do to help her. She merely hoped to live out the rest of her education soundlessly and without incident. She almost smiled despite herself at how ridiculous that simple request would be. A war was brewing and Eva knew that she would be required to choose sides.

"Fizzing whizbee," Eva mumbled the Gryffindor password and entered the common room silently. She noticed Lily, James and Remus huddled by the fire. Peter and Sirius were both missing. She made her way over to the group, sitting timidly down next to Lily. No one had said anything to Eva about Bellatrix being reinstated. She assumed it was because no one wanted to upset her, but she was still concerned that something would be said.

A few moments later, Sirius joined the group. Eva thought that she saw James look at Sirius accusingly, but the look was fleeting and she couldn't be sure. She had noticed that Sirius was typically absent from meals and other activities, but he usually showed up shortly after she did, so she thought nothing of it. After all, there had certainly been no shortage of essays and homework so far this year to keep them all busy. Eva had also noticed a new-found distance between Sirius and James and truly hoped that it wasn't because of her. Sirius had been careful to be polite if he was forced to speak to her, but she could always here the distaste seeping out through her words. James had been so good to her and Sirius and James had always been close, Eva didn't want to be the cause of the derailment of their friendship.

It was getting late and the group disbanded shortly after Eva had joined, each heading to their respective dorms for a good nights sleep.

Once Eva and Lily had safely entered their dorms, James rounded to look straight at Sirius.

"And where have you been this evening?" James asked accusingly.

"Oh, you know, around..." Sirius answered vaguely, his tone bordering on cocky.

"No, Sirius, I don't know. I don't know where you've been for days. What I do know, is that you seem to appear right after Eva does. And on top of that, I also know that my invisibility cloak and the map typically appear to be missing at the same time. Explain." James's voice had risen slightly alarming a couple of second years doing homework on the other side of the room. They quickly gathered their things and hurried to their dorms.

"You know that she's the reason that Bellatrix is back, James. I don't know why you refuse to listen-"

"Because it's utterly ridiculous! That's why. You were there, you saw what Bellatrix did to her! She almost died, Pad. How can you follow her around the castle like she's the enemy?" James demanded.

Sirius was slightly taken aback. A part of him understood what James was saying. If she was in leagues with Bellatrix, why would they have put her under the cruciatus curse? But Sirius knew what he'd heard that night in the hospital wing.

"James, I just think that maybe Eva is getting pressure from someone to make sure that Bellatrix stays in the castle. Tell me, why would Dumbledore let someone who used an unforgivable back into the castle?" Sirius argued.

James pondered this for a minute. The question had been one that he'd been asking himself for a while. He looked pensive for a moment before responding. "Well, if she's being pressured, shouldn't that be all the more reason to watch out for her?"

"I guess. I haven't seen anything while I've been following her that is any kind of indicator either way…" Sirius admitted.

James looked irritated. "You know that I think you're being a child about this, don't you? I see so many things in Eva's past that are similar to yours. I think that she has fell victim to a persuasive, vindictive family much in the same way as you have, Pad. I don't understand why you are constantly so suspicious of her."

Sirius nodded gently, not meeting James's gaze. James was correct in some ways, he knew that. He didn't know anything about Eva that would suggest that she was involved in anything negatively, in fact, now that James explained things, he could even understand how she was pressured to do what her parent's wanted. After all, hadn't he done the same thing until he'd had James, Peter and Remus to stand beside him?

Perhaps he had been going about everything wrong. Not ready to admit that to James, Sirius settled for a, "I'll try and lay off, okay?"

James nodded and the two young men headed to their dorms with the other students.

The next morning, Eva woke with a start. She was up early, as she often had been since the "incident" in Hogsmeade. She got ready quietly and headed down to the common room to read and wait for Lily to wake.

She hadn't been downstairs for more than a half hour when the boys dorm opened and a disheveled Sirius emerged. While he was wearing his school robes, he still looked half asleep. He made it to the bottom of the stairs before noticing Eva and then eying her warily.

"Long night?" she jested, before averting her eyes, cursing herself for engaging him in conversation. Eva and Sirius were hardly acquaintances and she had addressed him as though he were James. She was even more startled when he replied cordially.

"Couldn't sleep well, what about you?"

"Same," Eva answered gingerly. "I haven't slept well in a couple of weeks." Sirius's eyes widened in recognition but he did nothing to address his thoughts but nodding shrewdly.

They sat in silence for a few tense minutes before Sirius's stomach rumbling interrupted.

"Well I suppose I'll be heading down to breakfast, are you coming?" Sirius asked standing and stretching.

Eva was surprised, but tucked a bookmark in her book and stood to join him. "Sure."

James and Remus were standing in the common room when Lily emerged from her dorms.

"Good morning," she smiled briefly at James before joining them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Morning Lils," he replied. "Have you seen Sirius this morning?"

Lily shook her head gingerly. "Nope, but I noticed Eva is up already, too." Lily shrugged and began moving towards the portrait hole with Remus, addressing an essay for Defense they'd been assigned the previous day.

James lagged behind slightly, fuming. Hadn't they just discussed this yesterday? Didn't Sirius just promise to lay off a bit? James had been pleased with the course of their conversation. Perhaps Sirius would understand better later if James had to use his fists to do the talking?

By the time they reached the great hall for breakfast, James was positively fuming. How dare Sirius. If anything Eva needed them now, more than ever! He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he nearly ran into Lily and Remus who had stopped short of the Gryffindor table.

"This is new," Remus remarked with an eyebrow raised. Lily nodded in agreement. James followed their line of sight to see Eva and Sirius sitting at the table eating breakfast and…laughing?

Eva couldn't believe that she was having such a pleasant conversation with Sirius. Not only did it feel like she'd entered some sort of alternate universe where he wasn't brashly rude, he was actually kind of funny!

Their conversation had run the gambit of topics, remaining light. They had even briefly talked about how secretly stubborn Lily was falling for 'Potter'. They were laughing about that when, speak of the devil Lily, followed by Remus and James approached the table.

"Good morning!" Eva chorused, eliciting surprised glances from everyone around the table.

"Morning," a clearly confused James responded. Eva turned to great Lily and missed Sirius look at James with raised eyebrows and a smirk as if to say "how am I doing?"

A short time later, both Sirius and Eva were finished eating. Neither had really spoken to the other since they'd been joined by the rest of the group. Eva stood slowly and excused herself, heading back to get her books, which she'd left in the common room. James eyed Sirius as she left, wondering if Sirius would feel the need to follow her. He didn't and James smiled in relief.

Outside the great hall, Eva smiled to herself. It was nice to be friendly with Sirius. She didn't consider them FRIENDS, per se, but to not have to worry when they were in a group setting that it would be akward was a relief.

Eva was startled as a passing student roughly struck her shoulder. She turned menacingly and came face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

"Be..Bellatrix," she stammered the greeting. Bellatrix sneered in response.

"I heard that you were getting awfully close with my cousin this morning. What will your parents think?" Bellatrix said in a singsong voice before laughing callously and continuing to the great hall.

Just when everything seemed to be going well for a moment, Eva knew that she would have to answer to her parents once again.

**Well, what do you think? Again, sorry for the delay. I have now pushed through the writers block and will be back to updating like twice a week. I have a few different ways that I think this should/could go. The first is that Eva pulls away from everyone because of what her parents say, the second is that Sirius caught what Bellatrix said to her and so she doesn't have to hide everything anymore and the final thought is that Eva confides in everyone and tells them all what's going on. I think I know which one works for me, and I have the rest of the story pretty planned out, so we'll see. Feel free to tell me what you think. Also: the story will start to move much faster now that a lot of the background stuff is out of the way. Please review and let me know what you think! Thx-Ashley**


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